Aromatherapy and Ayurveda are terms that are well-known on their own merit, but the marriage of both worlds presents another realm of health, wellness, and beauty. In an industry of overconsumption and overproduction, Subtle Energies hopes to bring pure intent to the forefront through Ayurveda aromatherapy.
Ayurveda principles are based on the five elements of air, fire, water, earth, and ether, which, depending on the combination, comprise the three doshas: Pitta (fire and water), Kapha (water and air), and Vata (fire and ether). Balancing the doshas is seen as the key to optimal health, and every Subtle Energies product is designed with its effect on the doshas in mind. Predominant characteristics in the mind and body, one’s prakruti, determine an individual’s dosha, but even geographical location can have an impact. Furthermore, with age, and fluctuating hormone levels and metabolism, doshas can change. But while one’s genetic constitution is one component in determining the optimal treatment or product, the presenting condition is another.
The use of herbal oil decoctions (a reduction is made with the plants and water, then thickened with a carrier oil) is a trademark of Ayurveda practice, whereas Ayurveda aromatherapy uses essential oils (whereby the plant material is steam-distilled, with no added water). “That is where I have bridged the gap,” founder Farida Irani explains. “Essential oils are the prana, the chi, the immune system of the plant. By using these essential oils as actives in our products, because they are 100 times more potent than the plant itself, they are enhancing your own immunity and you are synergizing the life force of the plant with your own.” The essential oils also offer a more palpable aroma profile that doesn’t need to be washed off at the end of treatment, unlike their herbal decoction counterparts. In fact, some of the ingredients found in Subtle Energies products rival top-tier fragrance: frankincense, patchouli, champa, petitgrain, Mogra and night-blooming jasmine, rose, and sandalwood.
Ayurveda is undoubtedly having a moment in the spotlight, with some declaring it the beauty industry’s next frontier, with Puig investing in leading Indian personal care brand Kama Ayurveda and the Estée Lauder-backed Ayurvedic skincare brand Forest Essentials recently launching in the UK. The value of Ayurvedic and herbal products exported from India in 2020 totalled $428 million. Its foundations date back over 40,000 years, and the word itself translates to “science of life,” making Ayurveda not just another beauty buzzword but an all-encompassing realm of study and practice that includes 8 branches: surgery, psychiatry, internal medicine, vajeekaran (vitality and virility), rasayana (rejuvenation), pediatrics, and ophthalmology. The rise of clean beauty and explorations of holistic medicine in favor of traditional Western practices are priming a certain audience sector for all things Ayurveda.
“Wellness and commerce are two separate factors and yet they are intertwined. As the adage says: If health is lost, everything is lost. People are recognizing that health is very vital for you in order to be even commercially successful,” she explains. “As people invest more in their health, keeping to authentic values, especially if brands keep to their expertise, is very important. That provides longevity in a commercial sense, people are looking for authenticity. But when something is also a trend, you have to navigate that as well.”
Subtle Energies is a family-run business based in Sydney. Irani, an Ayurveda practitioner and clinical aromatherapist, set up the company in 1993 when she opened up a natural therapy clinic in the Australian city. The research, methods, clinical results, and products created through the establishment continue to be the foundation of the business today, operating in tandem with daughter Khursheed Irani. “Knowledge is very important to maintain Ayurvedic integrity. Theoretical knowledge is important, but how can you maintain that integrity of the principles of the product without knowing if you actually are affecting that result that you're committing to?” asks Nick Irani, Director of Operations and Brand Development.
Their decades of client work and training also help them tailor products which can bio-hack the system. Aside from antimicrobial functions present in eucalyptus or peppermint for example, ingredients like rose and sandalwood have phyto-estrogens and can therefore help with hormonal balance as well as calming down the nervous system, while tulsi lime can help with concentration. All Subtle Energies products are produced locally, adhering to European safety standards, predominantly at the hands of Farida’s husband Sheriar.
Farida—who also possesses teacher-level qualifications in aromatic medicine, remedial therapy, Bowen therapy, and reflexology—pursued Ayurvedic solutions all the way to India, where she befriended local artisan distillers that the company uses to this day. “Initially, they wouldn't even want to know you, because the yield in some of these unique oils is very limited. Also, trying to find the right quality is like finding a needle in a haystack. It has taken a lot of work over the years to be able to now be very comfortable with whom we deal with,” she recounts.
The company also sources ingredients from local Aussie farmers, namely bush oils like kunzea, fragonia, and eucalyptus. Subtle Energies’ close partnerships are not just for the sake of their products, but also supporting independent farmers. As Nick states: “That artisanal craft is becoming less and less, that's one of the challenges we face is the sustainability of it all. We don't work with endangered ingredients, but agriculture as an industry is definitely being impacted with the environment and communities going towards IT. We try to do a lot to support that industry.”
Subtle Energies’ highly selective approach to their harvest and production process ensures not only potency and purity, but also circles back to the company’s ethos of intent. “We associate the quality of essential oils to diamonds: you have different grades. They are determined by the water, soil, nature of the distillation, how many of these chemical constituents are captured, the producers’ intentions, how the people involved have been treated. Each oil has its own doshic value,” Nick explains. He draws comparisons to the more mineral notes of high altitude-grown lavender versus the more camphor notes of that grown in arid regions. Subtle Energies also offers spa treatment programs, incorporating their aromatic oils into modern practices such as deep tissue work and facial rejuvenation, whilst also training other practitioners in the effects of the ingredients they are using. The company even founded a college that offers a diploma in Ayurveda aromatherapy.
While losing the core of Ayurvedic integrity is one challenge of bringing the ancient practice into the beauty realm for most, the Iranis have faced more misunderstanding around what constitutes Ayurveda aromatherapy. “Once we launched as a brand, taking our clinical work into spas in 2010, a lot of luxury hotels placed us in the Ayurveda section of the menu. That was a great space to be in because that's where our principles were, but Ayurveda aromatherapy is a very distinctive difference,” Nick says. The company also needed to rebrand packaging due to regulations around the use of the term Ayurveda in personal care products, especially in regions such as the Middle East and Asia. “It's associated with medicine and they don't see the difference between beauty and medicine. So they'd rather not have it on there as well. Regulations-wise, there's not enough acceptance of Ayurveda in that sense,” he adds.
These misconceptions present a challenge, but also an opportunity for consumer education and engagement. “Sometimes people say that Ayurveda is just pouring oil on your forehead and eating some herbs. It is this broad science, a way of life. Once they understand it, they realize that their whole life perception can be revolving around this science,” Nick enthuses.
Farida hopes to not only offer others the luxury of Ayurveda aromatherapy in the spa space, but also in their everyday life. “It’s not just having a beautiful treatment. We also make them understand about how, besides looking at the body types, their sense of smell will guide them into creating a day-by-day design they can do themselves. Education is also a big part of what we do,” she explains. One such example are the brand’s Inhalation Patches: adhesive, portable diffusion solutions for everyday life, tailored towards sleep (containing mogra jasmine, kewda, and Kashmir lavender), rasayana (tulasi, Indian lime, wild turmeric), and aura protection (saffron, rhu khus, tulasi).
While essential oils have produced strong skin reactions for some, the Iranis emphasize formulation balance, test patching, and clinical trials in order to ensure consumer safety. “We make sure that we use good-quality, high-grade base oils like brahmi, which is a very cooling oil; or ashwagandha, which is very fortifying, strengthening, warming; or black seed sesame oil. We make sure that we create that synergy with the potency of the oil,” Farida explains. “While you might have something that is known to contain allergens, if you do the right kind of blending, it can be quite useful,” Nick adds. “We've taken anti-inflammatory oils like neem, brahmi, rhu kus, and coriander seed, and put them into ranges, like our Soothe & Enrich line that has been designed for that ultra sensitive skin.”
When the brand launched, it partnered with Six Senses Spa Group, entering top-tier destinations like Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental, which also had the resources to provide the extensive training programs Subtle Energies requires. At present, a sustainable packaging makeover and continuing expansion into the DTC space is on the brand’s roadmap, with a recent venture into Ukraine and working partnerships with Joyce Beauty and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.
From the artisanal harvesting to the aesthetically pleasing presentation and intoxicating scents, Subtle Energies is Ayurveda aromatherapy elevated. A passionately run enterprise, its steadfast foundation in ingredient and efficacy integrity beckon a bright future ahead.
